Man City predicted line-up v Bournemouth: Two changes with major De Bruyne decision - gallery

Manchester City will hope to continue their incredible record against Bournemouth when they travel to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.

The Blues have won every single meeting between the sides since Bournemouth gained promotion to the Premier League in 2015 and City have scored 14 across the last three Premier League matches against the south-coast side.

The 6-1 win in November was City’s biggest victory of the season to date, and Pep Guardiola’s side will hope for a similar scoreline on Saturday as they hunt down leaders Liverpool. The Reds are currently four points clear in first place, albeit they have played a game more at this stage.

By the end of the weekend, City, Liverpool and Arsenal will have played the same number of games in the title race, with 12 fixtures respectively remaining for the trio.

Every game counts at this stage, and City’s 1-0 win over Brentford in midweek was the sort of hard-fought win that could prove imperative come the end of the season. The three points were achieved without Kevin De Bruyne in the side and Guardiola revealed after the game that he felt a slight tweak in his hamstring and was left out as a result.

While that decision was described as a ‘precaution’, De Bruyne is a doubt for this weekend’s trip to Bournemouth, while Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish are ruled out through injury. Rotation could also be a factor in what is a busy fixture schedule over February, although next Tuesday’s FA Cup clash at Luton Town could provide the perfect opportunity for Guardiola to rest players.

With all that in mind, here’s how we think the team will line up at the Vitality this weekend…